SHREYAS IYER has signed up for Lancashire Cricket Club for the upcoming Royal London Cup. The Indian batsman will link up with the County club on July 15 and will be available for the month-long group stage of the tournament.
Iyer will become the sixth Indian player after Farokh Engineer, VVS Laxman, Sourav Ganguly, Dinesh Mongia and Murali Kartik to play for Lancashire.
"Lancashire is a legendary name in English Cricket with a long-standing association with Indian Cricket. I am extremely humbled and honoured to carry the legacy forward of greats like Farokh Engineer, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman at Lancashire. Emirates Old Trafford is a world class international stadium and I am looking forward to meeting my teammates and the supporters of the Club," Iyer, who has played 21 ODIs and 29 T20Is for India, said.
Paul Allott, Lancashire's Director of Cricket, added: "Shreyas is one of the shining lights of a new generation of Indian batsman and a leader, and we're delighted that an opportunity to bring him to Emirates Old Trafford has presented itself.
"With the expectation that we will be fielding a younger side in this year's Royal London Cup due to the Hundred, it was important that we brought in a top-order batsman with experience at the highest level to enhance our prospects in the tournament.
"Shreyas has experience of captaining in an IPL final as well as playing in top level international fixtures, so his on-field skills, and ability to remain calm in high pressure situations, will serve our young squad well this summer.
"His current form against England has been hugely impressive and we're looking forward to welcoming him to Lancashire Cricket and Emirates Old Trafford later this summer. We hope that this signing will reward Members' patience for not being able to attend Lancashire fixtures last year and demonstrates our continued commitment across all three domestic competitions this summer."
In the Royal London Cup, Lancashire plays its first match at home against Sussex on July 20.
